Drain-cock-operating device



W. H. STIGLITZ.

DRMN COCK OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.19,192I.

1,396,540, Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

WUZ

I'NVENTOR).

' WITNESSES UNITED STATES WILLIAM HENRY STIGLITZ, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

DRAIN-COCK-OPERATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

Application filed January 19, 1921. Serial No. 438,424.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TVILLIAM H. STIGLrrz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville. in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Drain-Cock-Operating Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to drain cock operating devices.

The object is to provide a supporting means for operating devices for drain cocks where the latter are located in inaccessible places, as in automobile radiators, in which they are necessarily situated beneath the said radiator and between the wheels of the machine in such position as to cause great inconvenience in turning the valve plugs thereof by hand.

To this end the invention comprises a supporting member or bracket consisting of a single length of suitable gage wire of suflicient strength to withstand the strain to which it is subjected, and so formed as to be readily installed in position upon the exterior of the valve casing of the drain cock to be held therein by a suitable fastener, in a manner to prevent any rotative or other movement thereon, thus eliminating all rattle or other noises, and having means for engagement with and to form the support of an elongated valve operating member, which latter is designed to be readily applied to the thumb piece of the cock, and to extend to within easy reach of the operator at one side of the machine, the entire device being securely attached in position without the aid of additional fastening devices, thus obviating the necessitv for any alterations in order to properly applythe same in position.

A full and complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification; it being understood that the latter is not confined to any strict conformity therewith, but may be changed or modified, so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing. in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a drain cock having an-extended valve operating lever applied thereto and the improved bracket or support therefor applied in position;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the improved bracket;

Fig. i a similar view member.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a drain or pet cock of wellknown construction and in common use in many places, the same comprising the usual globular valveoasing 1, having the reduced threaded neck portion 2, and the transversely disposed plug or valve member provided with the actuating thumb-piece3 extending from one side of the casing, and the shank 4 extending from the opposite side thereof, the latter preferably being provided with the usual spring 5 to maintain the tapered valve plug in tight position within the casing 1.

The valve as thus far described forms no part of the present invention, and may be of any other well-known construction having these general features.

In order to operate the valve plug from a remote point a longitudinally disposed actuating rod 6 is provided, which is formed of number 9 or 10 iron wire which is found to be sufficiently strong to withstand the torsional strain of turning the valve, and said rod is provided at its outer end with a crank handle 7 and adapted to be located at one side of the automobile, adjacent to the frame of the chassis and within easy reach of the operator. At its inner end the actuating rod 6 is provided with a valve-engaging loop 8 adapted to surround the reduced neck portion of the thumb-piece 3, the said loop being bent at right angles to the rod 6 so as to pass beneath the said thumb-piece, and having its terminal arranged parallel to the rod and in spaced relation to the same, as indicated at 9 and its free end 10 bent downwardly.

The rod 6 and the spaced terminal portion 9 thereof lie upon the upper fiat surface of the thumb-piece 3 when the valve is in the cut-off position, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. and it will be noticed that the rod 6 is arranged slightly out of alinement with the longitudinal axis of the valve plug, but this is not sufiicient to prevent the turning of the operating of the said plug when the rod 6 is rotated through the medium of the crank handle 7 as will be readily understood.

In order to support the valve-operating rod 6 in its extended position with relation to the valve plug, a bracket 11 is which is preferably formed of somewhat lighter material than the; said rod though of a similar wire construction. The bracket 11 comprises the elongated supporting arm 12, having at its outer end the angularly bent arm 13 provided at its free end with the terminal eye 14 adapted to surround the actuating rod 6, and to be located at an intermediate point between the, ends thereof to form a bearing for the, same, and to readily permit of the turning action of the same.

At its opposite end the supporting arm12 is bent to form spaced pairs of coils 15 comprising eyes, joined together by a loop 16, which is adapted to surround the neck portion 2 of the valve casing, and thus position the said eyes to one side of the latter. The terminal portion of the wire composing the bracket 11 is then bent downwardly and terminates in a loop 17 in surrounding relation to the shank lot the valve plug and its surrounding spring.- A cotter pin 18 is then passed through the "alined coils or eyes 15 and suitably secured to prevent the accidental removal of the supporting bracket from the valve casing, and the terminal loop 17 may then be bent with a pair of pliers to more snugly hug the shank of the valve plug, when the device is securely held to the drain cock in supporting relation to the actuating rod, and in such manner as to prevent rattling or dislodgement from its position due to themovement of the car over the road.

, The pairs of coils or eyes 15 are arranged close enough together to require the same to be sprung around the neck portion Q of the valve casing, the interposed loop 16 being sufiiciently resilient to permit the same.

The actuating member may be readily applied to. the thumb-piece of the valve'or removed therefrom without the necessity of springing the same or of any distort-ion whatever. For instance toremove the same, as viewed in Fig. 1, after the supporting bracket has been removed, it is only necesprovided sary to move the rod 6 to upright position, or at right-angles to the normal position, and,-then turn the same about the axis of the valve plug, when the loop 8 readily becomes disengaged from its position about the thumb-piece, as will be readily understood.

From the foregoing it will beseen that an extremely simple and cheaply manufactured drain cock actuating device and support therefor has been provided which may be readily applied to any of the well-lmown forms of cocksof this character without the necessity for drilling any holes or otherwise altering any of the parts of the valve or machine and without the necessity for using any additional brackets or supports therefor, the entire device including the actuating means and the support for the same being carried wholly by the said drain cock.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. In combination with a drain cock having a rotatable plug, a longitudinally disposed rod connected with said plug to opcrate the same, said rod projecting outwardly from said cock, a supporting bracket embracing saidcock and mounted wholly thereon and projecting therefrom in the same direction as said operating rod, and means on said bracket connecting the same to said rod and allowing free movement of the rod to turn, said plug.

2. The combination with a drain cock havin a rotatable valve plug, and a longitudina lly disposed valve-actuating rod connected therewith, of a supporting bracket for the latter, said'bracket being formed of a single length of wire and provided at one end with an angular bend terminating in a bearing eye to support said actuating rod, and at the otherend having pairs of spaced coils defining eyes joined together by a loop in surrounding relation to the neck of the valve casing, said eyes being arranged at one side of the latter for the reception of a pin to lock the same in position, and having a terminal loop adapted to surround the projecting shank of the valve plug.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

WILLIAM HENRY STIGLITZ. 

